P119 promoters and their uses

Abstract

This invention relates to compositions and methods useful in the production of transgenic plants. In particular, the invention relates to P119 plant promoter sequences and to expression cassettes containing P119 plant promoter sequences. The invention also relates to vectors and transgenic plants containing P119 plant promoter sequences that are operably linked to heterologous DNA sequences. In addition, the invention relates to methods of producing transgenic plants by using vectors containing P119 promoter sequences.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A composition comprising an isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising a tomato plant P119 promoter. 
     
     
       2. The composition of claim 1, wherein said promoter comprises a nucleic acid sequence identical to Seq. ID No. 3. 
     
     
       3. The composition of claim 1, wherein said promoter is from about 1200 to about 2500 nucleotides in length. 
     
     
       4. The composition of claim 1, wherein said promoter is contained in plasmid pG2.6XhoI(mut). 
     
     
       5. A vector comprising a tomato plant P119 promoter operably linked to a heterologous nucleic acid sequence. 
     
     
       6. The vector of claim 5 wherein said P119 promoter comprises a nucleic acid sequence identical to Seq. ID No. 3. 
     
     
       7. The vector of claim 5, wherein said P119 promoter is the P119 promoter of plasmid pG2.6XhoI (mut). 
     
     
       8. An expression cassette comprising a tomato plant P119 promoter operably linked to a heterologous nucleic acid sequence. 
     
     
       9. The expression cassette of claim 8, wherein said P119 promoter comprises a nucleic acid sequence identical to Seq. ID No. 3. 
     
     
       10. A transgenic plant comprising a tomato plant P119 promoter operably linked to a heterologous nucleic acid sequence. 
     
     
       11. The transgenic plant of claim 10, wherein said P119 promoter comprises a nucleic acid sequence identical to Seq. ID No. 3. 
     
     
       12. The transgenic plant of claim 10, wherein said plant is a member of the family Solanaceae. 
     
     
       13. The transgenic plant of claim 10, wherein said plant is a tomato plant. 
     
     
       14. A method of expressing a heterologous nucleic acid sequence in a plant cell comprising: a) transforming said plant cell with a vector comprising a tomato plant P119 promoter operably linked to the heterologous nucleic acid sequence; and   b) growing said plant cell under conditions where the heterologous nucleic acid sequence is expressed in said plant cell.   
     
     
       15. The method of claim 14, wherein said P119 promoter has the nucleotide sequence depicted in Seq. ID No. 3. 
     
     
       16. The method of claim 14, wherein said P119 promoter is the P119 promoter contained in plasmid pG2.6XhoI (mut). 
     
     
       17. The method of claim 14, wherein said plant cell is from a member of the family Solanaceae. 
     
     
       18. The method of claim 14, wherein said plant cell is a tomato plant cell. 
     
     
       19. The method of claim 14, wherein said plant cell is a tomato plant cell. 
     
     
       20. The method of claim 14, wherein said plant cell is a tobacco plant cell. 
     
     
       21. An isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising a promoter sequence of about 2500 nucleotides, which promoter sequence hybridizes to SEQ. ID. No. 3 under hybridization conditions which include washing at 65° C. in 0.1X SSC, 0.1% SDS. 
     
     
       22. The isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 21, wherein the promoter sequence is SEQ. ID. No. 3.